One day, while passing by a tree, I heard a sigh.
It seemed the oak could speak; I felt my knees go weak.
to rest and lay me down on the cool,
moss-covered ground under its wide, leafy canopy.
Because the day was hot, I lingered at that spot.
I was drawn to the oak's ancient presence,
its whispered wisdom captivating my mind and gently nudging me to feel inclined.
slipping out of my dress, I must confess.
With words of poetry, he started wooing me.
His leaves then brushed my skin. I trembled deep within.
His branches were so lush, I hoped I would not blush.
to think each sturdy limb might draw me up to him.
I don’t know how or why, but under summer’s sky
I disappeared into his essence, and I knew
The tree had captured me. His wood nymph I would be,
for he and I were one that day beneath the sun.
As if immortal, now I live beneath his bough.
At times, I disappear within him, but with no fear.
lives in me anymore because the forest floor
I roam now with great joy; the woodland is my home!
Beneath the firmament, lost in my oak tree’s scent,
I feel completely free; his beauty is all I see.
A young maid passes by; perhaps she hears us sigh.
and thinks about it, but the breeze is now passing through the trees.
But no, it is, but I, beneath the summer sky
locked in my tree’s embrace, and with my new found grace,
I look at her and see the girl I used to be.
and my reality blends with this sweet
Fantasy is an extension of real world occurrences. I say 'extension' as the real world is our 'work' field on which we all play the most wonderful game ever, called 'life'. There are certain roles and rules for playing the game of life. The outcome may or may not be in our favor. One crucial game rule states, 'You must participate and immerse yourself in the game!' Additionally, as humans, we grow weary of the identical game rules and playing field. It's our nature!!!
However, we must not forget, we cannot simply abandon the game! Now here's the trick. The greatest designer ever (God) has also given alternate playfields and alternate rules. And it has also given us the royal liberty to choose when to play, what to play, whom to play, and how to play!!! This is the field of 'dreams', a field of 'fantasy'...
The poem above, "A Dryad's Tale" depicts a transition from the confinement of reality to the liberation of fantasy, from enslavement to mastery. Just imagine what would happen if all the big leaders came out of the library and conducted a secret meeting about what to do with the current political situation. What if John Wick comes from the reel to real life? What if you have a date with Marilyn Monroe? Fantasy has no limits. Everybody has a ticket to travel in their dream world; there is no discrimination, no time limit, and no space constraint!!! Anywhere,
Reality is prison, and a dream is the key to freedom. God is the best innovator and smartest manager. He has created a spectacular self-sustaining system. The system involves minerals, primer insects, plants, herbs, trees, birds, animals, and humans. Now, to sustain their existence, God provided the essential life forces of water and sun, nurturing the intricate web of life on Earth. Maybe our real world is part of God’s fantasy!!
In a dimly lit room, the future legendary director secluded himself, surrounded by the hushed whispers of creativity waiting to be unleashed. He starts writing rigorously, as he’s a very fast writer. He manages to pull the story half-way through, but just as the protagonist of 8½, he faces writer’s block and feels blank about what to do next. After a long gap, something struck in his mind: How about if the screen actor comes out of the movie screen and wanders around the real world, and what if Cecilia (the female protagonist) has to choose between a screen character and a real actor (who portrayed the screen character)? Bingo!!! He rushes to the typewriter and finishes the story in one sitting. The movie stood as a pioneering masterpiece: 'The Purple Rose of Cairo.'
Cecilia is frustrated and has a joyless married life. Great depression has hit her family by taking away her husband’s job. He finds more fun in being outside, hanging around, gambling, and having beer. She works as a waitress to earn money, but one passion keeps hope and fun alive in her. Just like our Indian masses, she is crazy for movies. She saves some cents from her daily earnings to watch a movie. One day, she ends up watching ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’, a film about adventure, love, and romance. She falls head-over-heels for the protagonist, Tom Baxter. She has watched the film a number of times. During one screening, Tom Baxter's gaze lingered on her, drawn by the repeated exchanges of glances, sparking a silent yet profound connection between them. He calls up Cecilia and sneaks into the real world. All the other screen characters start accusing him of spoiling the plot. But he has fallen in love with Cecilia, wanting to explore the real world with Cecilia, who seeks to explore his fantasy world and be a part of it. Cecilia, always wanting to live in fantasy, sees the fantasy coming to her reality. On the other hand, the actor who played Tom Baxter is accused of overdoing the screen character. He rushes to locate Cecilia, who knows where Tom is. Now both the real and fantasy characters are chasing Cecilia. In the decisive moment, Cecilia stood at the crossroads of reality and fantasy, torn between the allure of a real-life hero and the enchantment of a fantasy-life man, her choice echoing through the realms of possibility.
Once upon a time again, the same (now legendary) director gets an idea to make a film based in Paris. ‘Wow!!’ he murmurs. He gets fascinated when he thinks of ‘Midnight in Paris’ as a title. But now what? What happens at'midnight in Paris’? Do two people meet? Do they fall in love? Then a sudden eureka happens in his mind: ‘Car!!’: one day the protagonist walks down the street and the car pulls him in. There are lots of interesting people inside, which takes him on an adventure. The film is an absolute all-time favorite of mine. And the director is none other than Woody Allen himself. Unarguably one of the best screenwriters of all time, Woody Allen's movies take some time to fall in love with. Those who just enjoy high-tech action and thrillers might feel alienated to his cinema, as they are highly talkative, witty, romantic, and romantic. Hollywood and the new wave of Hindi cinema owe much to Woody Allen movies. So, Gil Pander, a character I hold dear, finds success but remains discontent with the creative aspects of his work. He and his fiancé [creamy Rachel McAdams] (along with her parents) land up in Paris for vacation. Gil struggles to finish his first novel about a man running an anostalgia shop’. After being annoyed with Rachel’s pseudo-intellectual friend and dismissal from her fiancé, he gradually keeps himself distant from them and starts exploring himself. One night, a car stops near a drunken Gil and offers him a great adventure experience if he comes in. Car takes Gil to the 1920s, the era that Gil himself idolizes and is nostalgic for. He embarks on a journey of discovery alongside iconic figures like F. Scott Fitzgerald, renowned for 'The Great Gatsby,' Earnest Hemingway of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls,' the artistic visionary Pablo Picasso, the surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel, and a host of other influential personalities. Along with them, he also finds Adriana (cheesy Marion Cotillard! ), the love interest of Picasso, and falls in love with her. She falls for him as well due to his nostalgic fantasy novel, as she also idolizes the 1890s era. Both then eventually ‘travel’ to 1890, where Adriana wants to stay there as she is living her fantasy just as Gil was living his. Gil comes to know that idolization and good and bad times are just subjective. What matters is ‘present’!!! Gil comes back to 2010, gets redemption from his relationship with Inez (and her parents! ), and stays in Paris. When I went to Paris last year, I also got to visit some of the places referenced in the movie, i.e., Moulin Rouge, Maxim’s Paris, the Palace of Versailles, and the opera.
The movie explores nostalgia, its philosophy, its misery, its charm, and its romance!! What are we? Audience! We explore our feelings, our happiness, our sorrow, and our dream partner in a 2-hour fantasy world! At times, we yearn to immerse ourselves in that world, while at other times, we appreciate our reality over a fantasy realm! But the line between the dream world and the real world disappears in cinema halls because both worlds are manifested using emotions, and what emotions feel is the only right. That’s why we silently moan when Rose has to abandon Jack’s lifeless body in Ocean; that’s why when Rahul accidentally re-meets her mother, their weeping moistens our eyes!!
DESSERT:
"We all fear death and question our place in the universe. The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence." --- Gertrude Stein
